CBC Mouse droppings in product from Atlantic Superstore forces bakery, deli areas to close CBC Tue, June 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

An Atlantic Superstore in Charlottetown, P.E.I., has temporarily closed its deli and bakery counters after a complaint from a customer who found mouse droppings in a bag of buns they bought. Prince Edward Island's Chief Public Health Office received the complaint at the beginning of June. Inspectors paid the store at 465 University Ave. a visit, and soon after ordered all in-house production in those areas of the store to be paused. "When we find an infraction, we do a risk assessment to determine if there is a concern for public health," said Tanya O'Brien, director of environmental health. "Based on the findings in the June 4 inspection, we issued an order to close both the deli and the bakery sections of the store." Tanya O'Brien, director of P.E.I.'s department of environmental health. 'Rodents are prevalent in P.E.I. … but that's why it's important for facilities to take measures to eliminate them quickly so they don't get into the food,' says Tanya O'Brien, director of environmental health. (Ken Linton/CBC) More Staff were ordered to discard any food that was prepared in either section, as well as any product that had signs of contamination like gnaw marks or droppings from rodents. A spokesperson for Loblaws, the corporation that owns the Atlantic Superstore chain, apologized for any concern this may cause customers. "Food safety is fundamental to our business and we take concerns of this nature very seriously," the spokesperson wrote in a statement. "We investigated the customer concern immediately and implemented additional measures, including enhanced pest management activity, comprehensive product assessments, facility improvements, and additional preventive controls." The corporation also noted that all production has been shifted to another facility until additional preventive measures are completed. Department flagged sanitation issues in May Inspectors had previously noted some unsanitary conditions at the store just last month. O'Brien said staff from her department stopped by for a routine check at the end of May. That report concluded the store's overall sanitation was unsatisfactory and would require another check in a couple weeks. It was during that time period when the complaint about the mouse droppings came in. O'Brien said the findings of the first visit did not include any signs of rodent activity, but there were concerns with overall sanitation and how food was being stored. Advertisement But she added that this is the first unsatisfactory grade the location has received in many years. She said the store's operators have been "fully co-operative," have been reacting properly to the issue and are providing regular updates and reports. O'Brien said rodents are commonly found on food premises across the Island. Droppings in food, on the other hand, are less frequently reported. "Rodents are prevalent in P.E.I. … but that's why it's important for facilities to take measures to eliminate them quickly so they don't get into the food," she said, adding that food should be stored properly so it's protected from contamination even if mice or rats are present. The Atlantic Superstore would normally be assessed once or twice a year, O'Brien said, but in this case the department will continue to monitor the store on a regular basis. Advertisement In the meantime, she said, there's no definitive timeline on how long the closure of the bakery and deli would last. "Pest control has been on site and continues to be on site to monitor the situation and to work to eliminate the rodents that are there and to prevent further entry into the premises," O'Brien said. "Once that's been completed, and a thorough clean and disinfection of all surfaces has been completed, then they will go back on site to reassess."